When applying for a position as a Veterinary Care Assistant (VCA), you will likely need to submit a cover letter along with your CV or application form. It’s important to make a strong first impression, so we’ve put together a guide on how to write a cover letter for a Veterinary Care Assistant job.
The basics
You need to make sure you have included your contact details, including your full name, address, phone number and email address, as well as the name of the position you are applying for and where it was advertised.
It is also important to address the cover letter to the correct person, ideally by name. Job adverts will often let you know who you are applying to, or this information will be available on the company website, so don’t ignore this crucial detail. If you cannot find the name, you can address the cover letter to the ‘Hiring Manager’.
Remember – being concise is key when it comes to your cover letter. Hiring managers are busy people, after all! It should not be longer than a page and ideally should be even less than this, around 300 words. Once you’ve finished the various sections of your cover letter outlined below, make sure to go back and edit it.
Introduction and reasons for applying for the job
In the first paragraph, you should introduce yourself, explain why you are interested in applying for this job, and outline the key qualities that mean you would excel in this particular position. You should include a brief overview of why you are pursuing a career in animal care and what makes you good at it.
Relevant experience
In the next section of your Veterinary Care Assistant cover letter, you should detail any relevant experience you have, such as previous employment. If this will be your first role as a Veterinary Care Assistant, you should still mention any volunteering experience you have that relates to animal care. Either way, outline the key responsibilities you had in any previous position and what you learned during your time.
You can also detail any academic qualifications you have and how these have enabled you to pursue a career as a Veterinary Care Assistant.
The skills that would make you a good fit for the role
Next, you want to outline the key skills and competencies that make you qualified for this particular job as a Veterinary Care Assistant. These might include:
- Exercising, grooming and feeding animals
- Monitoring and providing supportive care
- Preparing theatre and relevant equipment
- Cleaning and preparing accommodation
- Restraining animals for treatment
- Reception duties
- Record keeping
You may also want to mention more general and soft skills such as time management, teamwork, the ability to work under pressure and compassion for animals.
Address the key points/responsibilities described in the job description
While you are detailing your key skills, it’s important to tailor your cover letter to the particular Veterinary Care Assistant role that was advertised to show that you are interested in that particular job, rather than just sending out a generic cover letter.
If there are particular skills outlined in the job description, for example, make sure to mention those. You can also include a sentence on why you are particularly drawn to working at that practice and why you feel you would fit in.
A strong closing statement and signing off
To finish your cover letter, you want a final sentence or two that summarises your suitability for the role and a call to action which suggests the next steps for proceeding with your application.
When it comes to signing off your cover letter, an accepted phrase is ‘Yours sincerely’ but as long as you are respectful and professional, you can use variations on this.
Hopefully, this guide to writing a Veterinary Care Assistant cover letter has been useful! If you are a candidate currently looking for a position, make sure to look at our services to see how we could help you.